Tuesday, November 27, 2012

There is
something about chicken cacciatore that screams comfort food. This hearty, savory dish is perfect for the
cold weather. So put on your favorite cozy sweats, snuggle next to a fire and
enjoy! —Jennifer

You’ll
need:

2 chicken breasts,
bone in and split into two

4 chicken
drumsticks with skin

½ cup flour

3 tbsp garlic powder

1 large Spanish
onion, chopped

2 tbsp capers (plus brine)

¾ cup red
wine (I used a Shiraz by mistake and it was delicious)

¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 packages sliced mushrooms, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

Dried oregano

Kosher salt

Pepper

Basil

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Mix flour and garlic powder to dredge chicken in.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper before putting them into the flour mixture.

Coat bottom of
a large (really large) sauté pan with olive oil and heat over medium flame.

Dredge chicken
and place the chicken parts in the pan.

Cook chicken on
each side until light brown (3 minutes one each side for legs, about 5 minutes on each side for
breasts depending on thickness)

Remove chicken
when done and add to the same sauté pan the chopped onions, mushrooms and garlic.

Sauté until
onion is soft to the touch.Add wine and
let it cook down (about 2-3 minutes).

Add chicken
broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, a pinch of oregano and the capers.

Bring to a simmer. If you like your sauce to
have some kick/heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Add the chicken
and let cook/simmer for 30-40 minutes on medium heat.

Top with
chopped fresh basil and Parmigiano cheese. Serve over
pasta, rice or with crusty bread.

Monday, November 19, 2012

The weather here in Florida is obviously warmer this time of year than it is back in Tennessee. On weekends we can walk just two blocks from our new home in the Sunshine State to the Saturday Morning Market where there's music, coffee, food, home-grown fruits and veggies and oh, did I mention food?!I made this cucumber bruschetta after a recent market trip to go with a crisp Chardonnay that I had just purchased. It was so delicious that I had my mother come over to try some and she loved it too! It was so popular that we are making it for our holiday company this week. This is definitely one of the easiest appetizers you will ever make. If you are looking for something light before a heavy meal or something fresh for a tapas party or a pot luck, this is a great practically no-cook starter that is just as delicious to eat as it is easy to make. The best part is that it can be made so many different ways, so get creative! —Jill

You'll need:

Fresh Italian baguette bread, sliced thin

2 cucumbers, diced

1/2 cup fresh dill

1/2 tsp sea salt, plus a pinch

2 tsp cracked black pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

1 lemon, juiced

1 small container plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

Olive oil

Fresh basil, torn

Drizzle the baguette slices with olive oil, place on a cookie sheet and toast for 10 minutes in the oven preheated to 375 degree. Put cucumbers in bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the dill, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, the zest of one lemon, and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Stir and set aside.Put 1 cup of the yogurt in a separate bowl. Add in the remainder of the dill, a pinch of sea salt, the other teaspoon of pepper, and juice the other 1/2 of the lemon. Stir together and set aside.

Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the yogurt mixture onto each of the baguette slices. Top with a scoop of the cucumber mixture. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh torn basil. Feel free to change this up by adding shredded rotisserie chicken, fresh mint or even some cilantro for a completely different flavor. Enjoy!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Cousins fan Carol Roberts
told us about her first time making tomato sauce, and her friend Robert
Calandra gave us the inside scoop on making homemade meats. OK, you two...so when are the
Cousins coming over for dinner?

Carol:

This is the first time I
did this. I got a bushel of plum tomatoes and spread them out on my dining room
table until they turned red, which took about three days. I boiled them in two
huge pots until the skins started to fall off. I had to do that
twice—what a pain! I let them cool, removed the skin and drained them. Then
put them through a hand crank machine that removes the seeds. (It’s a very cool
piece of equipment I got at Corrado’s Market.) I put all the tomatoes back in a pot
and let them simmer for about an hour.

Before jarring, I ran the mason
jars through the dishwasher without soap and soaked the tops in hot
water. I let the sauce cool down, which took forever. I put three pieces of
fresh basil in each jar and put the lids on.

Now this is where it
didn't work for me. I should have put all the jars in boiling water so they
would seal, but the store told me to just turn them over and leave them
overnight and they would pop. That didn't happen so the next night we put them
in the boiling water to seal them.

When you are ready to use
the sauce, add your seasonings and meats.

Robert:

We've been engaged in the
process of Italian charcuterie for 30 years making capocollo, supressata,
cotechino, dried and fresh sausage, pacetta, bresaola, and prosciutto. These
are all from pig with the exception of bresaola, which is made from beef loin.

We start the process in
December when the cold temperatures arrive. We make our capocollo from the lion
of the pig. Others use the shoulder, often referred to as the butt. The
shoulder has fat strewn throughout the meat whereas the loin is leaner and
has fat around the outside only.

The meat is placed in a
large pan and coated with a measured amount of curing salts and, in some cases,
spices. It is stored in a cold spot or refrigerator for 24 hours. This
allows the salts to be infused with the meat and displaces some of the water
content. The residual salts are then washed off with red wine and the meat is
coated with course ground black peppercorns.

The meat is then put into
the large intestine of the pig (casing). The casing is perforated all over and
tied with twine for hanging in a cool airy space. It will need about
three months to mature with constant monitoring for the right amount of
firmness. Once ready, the meat must be vacuumed packed or submerged in
oil to keep out air so it doesn't harden further. The meat is sliced paper thin
for serving.

In Italy there are other
methods of curing, which differ slightly from region to region. For example
capocollo made in Umbria, Basilicata, Puglia and Calabria are soaked in brine
prior to the drying process, have other spices added, such as garlic, or are
lightly smoked with oak wood. Other variations are called coppa or speck.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Five cases of bottled water—check.Generator gassed up and ready to go—check. Furniture
from basement moved upstairs—check.There was nothing left to do except bake.While I still had power before the storm hit I decided to whip up a batch of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies...a little comfort food to make me feel better
while I wait for my uninvited guest, Hurricane Sandy.Luckily I had all the ingredients, and theonly thing left to do was decide what kind of wine goes with cookies...white or red? —Lisa

You'll need:

1 cup butter, softened but not melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat over to 325 degrees.

In a mixer (Betty to the rescue!) beat together the
butter, brown sugar and white sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time,
then the vanilla.Combine the flour,
baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and add to the creamed mixture until
blended. Mix in the oats and
chocolate chips.Drop by spoonfuls onto
an ungreased baking sheet.

About Us

Four cousins born in New Jersey reminisce about their childhood spending time in their Italian grandmother's kitchen and share how food not only has influenced their lives, but how their lives have influenced their food. They have taken family recipes, recreated some, invented others, and are sharing them now with the humor and warmth that can only come from four "Cousins in the Kitchen."